


Beanie Boy

by bugheadandjughead



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Divorce, F/M, Fluff and Angst, POV Jughead Jones, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-08 13:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugheadandjughead/pseuds/bugheadandjughead
Summary: "You were lonely, homeless, broken. I just gave you a place to stay."Beanie Boy Jughead and Good Girl Betty are in it together... until romantic feelings for each other bloom between them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamersshouldknowbetter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamersshouldknowbetter/gifts).



"Why would you allow her to leave?" Jughead demanded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I loved my mom — I loved my _sister!"_

Jughead's father slammed his glass of alcohol on the kitchen counter. "She made the choice to leave us. Not me!"

"Yeah, well, you might as well have made it for her," Jughead said, his throat constricting his low voice. He wanted to say more, to say the unspoken fact, _you are alcoholic trash, dad._

Jughead's dad sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

This caused anger to swell up Jughead's heart. He stared around the hell hole of his house, reminding himself he didn’t _have_ to stay here. He'd always imagined himself walking out on his dad. This would be the perfect chance to do exactly that.

Except, where would he go? He could always crash at the school. Or at Archie's. Or ...

"I'm leaving, but this time I'm not coming back," Jughead said.

"Jughead, wait … "

But Jughead was already gone.

* * *

 

Thunder echoed across the sky, followed by a flash of lightning. Rain drenched Jughead as he made his way to Betty's new apartment. Ever since she moved out he'd been dying to ask her for a place to stay. And after the events of tonight ….

Jughead didn't want to think about it. He had to get to Betty's apartment.

He adjusted his backpack strap, and crossed the street to the apartment complex. Jughead's skin was beginning to grow goosebumps as he trudged up the steps to her place. His brain was screaming at him to turn around and leave – that this was a huge mistake – but something kept him rooted to the spot. He didn't know what it was. He knew he had a bad habit of overthinking things, but he also knew he needed a place to stay.

Maybe that's all this could be. Two friends living together, nothing more. He hoped it would stay that way, even though he knew it wouldn't. He'd been crushing on Betty for so long.

It was tearing him apart.

Shaking himself loose of his thoughts, he raised his fist to knock. His knock was loud, yet cautious. He glanced around after, hoping none of her neighbors heard. After all, it was rather late at night.

The door swung open, and Betty let a small shriek loose. "Juggie, what are you doing here?" She adjusted her ponytail. Jughead tried to ignore the fact that she was in her sleep clothes, with short shorts and a T-Shirt that was way too thin.

Jughead cleared his throat, an obvious pink tinge to his cheeks. He said, "I need a place to stay .... again."

Betty stepped aside, opening the door wider. "Of course."

Jughead stepped inside. He didn’t know what to say – this wasn't the first time this happened.

He sat down on her couch, and folded his hands in his lap. "I uh … "

"You don't need to say anything, Juggs," she handed him a tissue box, and added, "I'm here for you."

Jughead took the tissue box, and blew his nose. And then …

He cried.

He cried because his dad was an alcoholic, and didn’t want to change his ways. He cried because his mother left him, taking his sister along with her. He cried because he was a loner, and the girl he liked, was in love with his best friend.

His life was an utter hell-hole, and he was miserable.

Once he calmed down, Betty smiled slightly. "You need rest," she said, "lay down."

He did. She tossed a blanket over him, and he relaxed against the throw pillows. She patted his shoulder, then left for her own room.

* * *

 

“Good morning, Juggs,” Betty said, flipping on the lights.

Jughead sat up, rubbing his eyes. Betty was dressed in her usual outfit, with a white sweater, and dark jeans. Her outfit was great, but what he cared about was the unmistakable concern in her green eyes. She stepped forward, and sat on the couch beside him.

“Is it morning already?” Jughead asked. He pulled his phone out of his bag, and checked the time.

“Yeah … ” Betty sighed, and said, “did you get in another argument with your dad?”

Jughead stared at his hands, and replied, “yeah. We did.”

“Well,” she reached for his hand, then thought better of it. A little piece of him broke when she returned her hands to her own lap. “You know you can trust me.”

Jughead nodded, and grabbed his backpack. “We’re late for school.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Archie really got on Jughead’s nerves. The more Archie passed up an opportunity to be with Betty, the more he made Betty cry. Jughead knew she felt like everyone’s second choice.

She wasn’t though. Not for Jughead, not ever. She’d been his first choice since the day they met.

“Hey Juggs,” Betty greeted, sitting in the booth across from him. Archie slid in beside her.

“Hey … ” he closed his computer.

Veronica slid in beside him, too. “Who’s up for a milkshake?” she asked, releasing a tense breath.

After everyone ordered a milkshake, Veronica folded her hands on the table in front of her. Betty stole a glance at Archie, which made something unpleasant twist inside Jughead’s stomach – a familiar feeling commonly known as jealousy. However, he didn’t know it as jealousy. He knew it as an intense desire to have something someone else had. In this case, it was his crush, who loved his best friend.

“How’s the new apartment, Betty?” Archie asked.

She glanced at Jughead for a moment, before saying, “I love it.”

Jughead stared at her while she listed off the good aspects of her life on her own. He smiled slightly when Betty glanced at him again.

However, that small smile faded when Betty returned her eyes to Archie, and scooted closer to him.

“Jughead,” Veronica whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts, “what is it with you today?” Archie and Betty were now talking, too immersed in their own conversation to care about Jughead and Veronica. “You’ve been acting funny all day … ”

“It’s nothing, I promise,” Jughead replied. It was when Betty’s reactions to Archie got more heated that Veronica dropped the matter.

“Betty that’s not what I meant at — ”

“Archie,” she shook her head, “I don’t think you get it.”

“Get what?”

“I loved you!” she said, “you broke my heart.”

Veronica’s eyebrows rose. “What happened?”

The waiter came back with their milkshakes, but Betty was already getting up, already going away.

The three watched her, with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Jughead gathered up his things, but Veronica stopped him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

He replied, “I have to go help her.”

Veronica must’ve noted the sincerity – and urgency – in his voice, because she stood up, and allowed him to leave.

* * *

 

“Betty,” Jughead called, closing the apartment door behind himself. He glanced around. Betty must’ve cleaned up a little, because the place looked a lot nicer than when he left for school. For when _they_ left for school.

He noticed a picture frame lying on the couch. When he stepped closer, he noticed it was a picture of Polly. He picked it up, and traced the frame with his thumb. Polly was so similar to Betty. She always wanted to know the truth, she wasn’t _afraid_ of the truth.

And she …

She never gave up.

Neither of them did. The sisters were so alike, yet so different. It made him wonder what kind of secrets they held themselves. And whether they liked to keep those secrets or not – if it pained them to keep them.

He heard sniffling coming from the bedroom, causing him to set the picture frame down. He took cautious steps toward the bedroom, his heart hammering behind his ears, his throat constricting.

When he opened the door, he did so with slow movements. He poked his head in.

“Betts?”

She was in the corner, her hands covering her face. Her shoulders were shaking, and her hair was a tangled mess – instead of the normal ponytail it was styled in.

Betty wiped her eyes, and glanced up at Jughead. She didn’t have to say anything for Jughead to get the message. She was saying, _I need help._

And that’s all he needed to know. Without hesitation, he quickly sat beside her, and placed an arm around her. She leaned into him, and said, “I was stupid … ”

She didn’t have to say more.

* * *

 

They never spoke of their breakdowns again. Jughead didn’t want Betty telling of his moment of weakness, and Betty didn’t want Jughead telling of _her_ moment of weakness.

It was an unspoken thing between them that they didn’t need to admit to each other.

Jughead knew that Betty cared about him, but he also knew it wasn’t the same way he cared about her.

So, Betty and Jughead spent the next few days living together, but at the same time avoiding the topic of the breakdowns.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturdays were the best days to relax at Pop’s – alone – and enjoy some time to write by yourself.

_Everyone is stubborn in their own way. Some people are stubborn about their loyalty to someone, others are stubborn about what interests them. But most people are stubborn when they don’t want to hear the truth._

_The truth is a funny thing. Sometimes, you want other people to see the truth, but when it comes to you – yourself – you don’t want to hear it. Well, not everyone is like that. Some people — like Betty Cooper, for example — are not stubborn in that way. They don’t shy away from the truth. They see the truth as something approachable, as something worth finding out._

_And that’s something to be admired._

Jughead stared at his computer screen with his hands hovering over the keyboard. His eyes read and re-read over what he’d written in the past hour.  He sighed heavily, and leaned back against the booth.

“May I sit?” a familiar voice asked.

He glanced up at the sun-kissed blonde in front of him. Her smile always chased away his dark thoughts. His mopey thoughts, the thoughts that often caused him to overthink things. When she smiled, all that seemed to go away.

And he liked that. A lot.

When Jughead nodded, she slid into the booth across from him. “I don’t think we can keep avoiding each other, Jughead.”

“We _live_ together,” he said in a hushed voice, “I wouldn’t exactly call that ‘avoiding,’ Betty.”

He closed his laptop lid, and rested his hands on his computer. He didn’t want Betty reading what he’d written anyway.

“Well, you haven’t exactly acknowledged my presence this morning when I woke up … ”

“It’s just odd, in a way,” Jughead said, calculating her facial expression. Her eyebrows scrunched together. “you know, w-when uh … ”

Betty smiled, and reached across the table for his hand. He noticed she didn’t hesitate this time.

“When what?” Betty asked. Her grip on his fingers were loose.

“When you and I saw each other at our worst,” he said.

“Jug,” she said, squeezing his hands. Her head tilted as she said, “I don’t care about seeing—”

Betty snatched her hands away, staring at something behind Jughead. He turned around, noticing Archie and Veronica. They’d just entered the diner, and were headed their way.

“Here already?” Veronica asked, smiling. She sat beside Betty, and Archie beside Jughead.

“What were you guys talking about?” Archie asked. He glanced back and forth between them, his body language relaxed and open.

Betty said, “well, we were talking about the uh … test on Monday.”

Veronica squinted at Betty. “What test?”

“You know, _the_ test?”

“I’m getting the feeling you’re hiding something,” Veronica raised an eyebrow.

Betty stared at the table, “I’m not hiding anything.”

It was silent at their table for a moment. Jughead noticed the sounds surrounding him, when he otherwise wouldn’t. He normally was too immersed in his own writing, or his conversations with his friends, to notice the background noise.

The sounds of people talking to their friends, dates, or families. The sounds of forks against plates as people ate. But above all the noise was the smell of fresh bacon and coffee, the smell of something chocolate being made.

“Betty … ”

She smiled, “you know what, Ronnie? We have cheerleading practice, remember?”

“Right. Let’s go practice,” Veronica replied, glancing at Jughead.

“I’m going to leave you to your writing,” Archie said as they left. He grabbed his things, and followed the girls out.

* * *

 

Jughead took a trip to his dad’s. He knew he shouldn’t, that he’d regret it in the long run, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to check up on his father.

FP was sitting on the couch when Jughead entered, a bottle of whiskey in his hands. Stubble had grown on his chin and upper lip, making him look like the alcoholic trash he is.

Jughead’s lip curled at the sight of his father.

“Hey son,” he slurred. He stood up, and stumbled over to Jughead.

“Dad … ” Jughead’s throat constricted in on itself. His dad hasn’t gotten better, in fact he’s gotten worse.

Falling into the alcoholic chasm that Jughead tried so desperately to free him from. And the worst of that was the fact that his dad wasn’t trying to break the chains that had such a strong hold on him.

Jughead sighed, “I’m staying at someone else’s house.”

His dad took a sip of the whiskey, and said, “I’m not stopping you.”

Jughead glanced around at the hell hole of the house he’d grown up in, and said, “I’m sorry Dad, but I’m not staying here any longer. Not until you fix this alcohol problem.”

Again, Jughead was saying something close to the unspoken thought of his, _you’re alcoholic trash, Dad._

FP just took a giant swig of the whiskey, and plopped back down on the couch.

Jughead took that as his invitation to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

The apartment was quiet when he returned. The darkness in the room faded out when Jughead turned on the lamp. He relaxed on the couch, and tugged off his shoes, before finally leaning against the throw pillows on the couch.

The neighbor’s dog was barking – more than usual today, he noticed – and laughter arose from next door. Jughead sighed, and closed his eyes tightly. He couldn’t get the image of Betty sliding closer to Archie out of his mind.

Granted, that was several days ago, but he couldn’t help wondering what Archie thought of her. Maybe it was all a cover-up. Maybe Archie _did_ feel something for Betty, maybe he just wanted to hide it for fear of …

What would he have to fear? Betty clearly likes Archie back. So, what’s the problem?

Jughead’s mouth set in a flat line, his eyes squeezing even tighter together. What did Archie have that was so appealing to everyone? He had looks, yes, but what about actions? Archie clearly made a lot of bad decisions, so why does Betty like him? He dismissed her constantly, he caused her to cry, he went around, kissing other girls …

Well, Archie sure was lucky. If Betty liked him, clearly, he had the chance of a lifetime here. Betty is perfect. She’s a perfect girl with a perfect life and perfect looks.

Jughead’s arm muscles tensed, his fists clenching at his sides.

The door to the apartment squealed open, causing Jughead to open his eyes. Betty stood in the doorway, her face shadowed in the dark hallway. When she stepped into the light, he noticed she was biting her lip, and her posture was rigid.

“I heard you went to your father’s place,” she said. She made her way over to him. He couldn’t help but notice the way her curves moved as she walked.

“He was wasted,” Jughead said, forcing himself to swallow. A muscle in his jaw feathered.

“Well, Archie wanted to pass on a – ”

Anger spiked in Jughead’s heart upon hearing Archie’s name. “Are you and Archie – ”

“No, Jughead, we’re not together! I’m in love with someone else now.”

Jughead inwardly swore to himself.

“Just go get some rest,” Jughead replied.

Betty stared at him for a moment, before standing up, and heading to her own room.

* * *

 

Someone was shaking him. Between his dream world and the conscious world, he could hear Betty’s voice. Something was important.

“Juggie, wake up!”

In his dream, Veronica was speaking to him with Betty’s voice.

“Juggie!”

_Shake, shake, shake._

Jughead opened his eyes, glaring at the culprit. Betty was smiling her usual bright smile, and again, her T-shirt was thin and her shorts were short. But she looked absolutely beautiful, there was no doubt in his mind.

“Jughead,” Betty said, smiling, “I have something to show you.”

He meant to say, ‘what time is it?’ but it just came out as a strangled, “w-what?”

“Let’s go, come on!”

She dragged him out of bed, and he reluctantly followed. She brought him to her room, and pulled open the blinds. And then … she pointed at the sky.

The full moon was out today, and it was blood red. It stood out as a contrast against the inky black night sky. Jughead said, “this is what you woke me up for in the middle of the _night?_ ”

“No … ” Betty trailed off. She glanced up at Jughead, and smiled, “I mean, yeah, kind of. It’s just really cool.”

Jughead wrapped his arms around her shoulders. They sat down and stared up at the moon, Jughead holding Betty in his arms. And when Betty fell asleep, Jughead carried her to her bed and tucked her in, before going back to bed himself.

* * *

 

Jughead slept in until one in the afternoon. However, when he heard arguing outside the apartment door, he shot straight out of bed.

Betty burst into the apartment, and turned to slam the door. She turned, and flinched when she noticed Jughead.

“What happened?”

She avoided his eye contact. “Mom happened.”

“What did witch lady want now?”

Betty gave him a warning look, before replying, “she wants me to move back in with the family. And … she’s not a witch lady, she has a good side to her, you know.” Jughead watched her pace the room. “I mean, what’s so important that I need to move back in with my family for? Clearly she wouldn’t feel the need if there wasn’t something – ”

“Betts,” Jughead interrupted, “relax.”

The tension in Betty’s shoulders dropped as soon as he stepped closer to her. She said, “what do I do? I want to give you a place to stay, but at the same time … my family needs me.”

“ _Your mom_ needs you,” he corrected, “which you can help her just by sitting her down for breakfast. You don’t need to move back in with her. Remember how being under the same roof with her was torture for you?”

Betty nodded, her ponytail slightly bobbing.

“It’s just … ” her eyes reached his, before she said, “you were lonely.”

“What?”

“You were lonely. Homeless. Broken,” she paused, stepping closer to him, “I gave you a place to stay, when you had nowhere else to go.”

She reached out to touch his cheek. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud bang on the front door.

Immediately she jumped away from Jughead, and walked to the door. Moments later, he heard voices, which he recognized as Archie and Veronica.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey Jughead! What are you doing here?” Veronica said. She dropped her purse at the kitchen bar, and smiled, waiting for a response.

“I’m — ”

“I’m helping him study for the test tomorrow,” Betty interrupted, sitting next to Jughead. She rested her hands in her lap, and said, “there’s a test tomorrow, by the way.”

Archie sat at a bar stool in the kitchen, next to Veronica. “You’re helping Jughead?”

Betty glanced over at Jughead, her mouth twitching at the sides. Her eyes were bright as she said, “yeah. He’s cooperative, wouldn’t you say so, Juggie?”

Jughead smirked and sat back, but that smirk was gone as soon as he noticed the toxic look on Archie’s face.

Veronica noticed too, and swiftly said, “so I originally came here to see if you would all like to come hang out at my house for the night? Mom isn’t going to be home for a while.”

Archie’s toxic look faded into a slight smile, as he said, “I’m providing food.”

Betty smiled, “why not? Sounds fun.”

“A sleepover? No thanks,” Jughead said.

Betty nudged him subtly. Her body language went stiff.

Veronica’s eyebrows rose.

“Why not?” Archie asked, a smirk playing on his lips, “you wouldn’t want to miss it. Inner circle only, you know.”

Jughead said, “it’s weird, Archie.”

He noticed Archie’s shoulders stiffen, his muscles twitching. “Not as weird as the beanie you always wear.”

Jughead scoffed, but didn’t say anything. He knew if he did, Archie would get riled up in front of the girls, and that wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Because then Jughead would _have_ to put him in his place.

He’d like to do that.

“Have something to say, beanie boy?” Archie demanded.

Betty nudged Jughead again.

Veronica turned to Archie, and said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Archie.” She turned to Jughead, and said, “think about it, okay?”

After Veronica tugged Archie away, Betty turned to Jughead.

“You need to go to that sleepover with me. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Jughead said, “I’ll consider it.”

Betty leaned against Jughead’s shoulder, causing him to stiffen.

_I’m in love with someone else now …_ Betty’s words were like daggers to his heart. Who was it? Who was so important?

When Betty abruptly sat up, she said to Jughead, “I need to go talk to my mom, I forgot!”

Startled by the sudden outburst, Jughead said, “w-what?” 

She hugged him, and said, “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” And just like that she’d left, leaving him completely dazed.

* * *

 

The rough engine of a motorcycle racing down the highway startled Jughead awake. He silently cursed the motorcycle man who decided it was cool to be loud at this hour.

Speaking of …

He glared at the time on his phone. He’d practically slept the entire day away. But he wasn’t going to complain, since he loved his sleep.

Then, he heard sniffling and gasping from Betty’s room. He heard whispering, like Betty was talking to herself. Jughead picked up his beanie, and slipped it on.

“Betts?” he asked, stepping closer to the bedroom.

“Go away Jughead,” came her choked out response. The sound of her heartbroken voice made him aware of just how much he cared about her.

Jughead squinted at the door. Sighing, he finally muttered, “oh Betty, there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone.”

So Jughead quickly advanced toward the bedroom.

He inched open her door, and glanced around at her very pink, very girly room. “Betts?” he repeated.

“Juggie,” she was in the corner, curled in a ball. Her hair was matted, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“What happened?” he asked, sitting beside her.

“Well,” she paused, wiping away a tear, “my parents are getting a divorce, and Polly is going to college in New York. Mom thought it was a good idea to blame all of it on me.” Her chin trembled.

_Help me,_ her words practically screamed.

Jughead wrapped his arms around Betty. She leaned into his touch, and whispered, “my mother is a witch lady after all.”

“Hey, hey … ” he said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, “there’s good in everyone. You have taught me that yourself. If I’ve learned anything from you, it’s that you should never give up on people, no matter how much they deserve it.”

Betty smiled. “Thanks.”

“So stop worrying about them, and worry about yourself first, okay?”

She nodded. He wiped away a stray tear, and she leaned into his hand.

“My family is torn apart,” she whispered, “and it’s all my fault.”

“How is it your fault?” he asked softly. He played with her hair. He loved the smell of her hair. It was a pleasant smell, like strawberries and lemonade on a hot summer day.

“I moved out … ” she replied.

“Don’t let her bully you into thinking this, please,” he muttered.

She looked up at him, and said, “it can’t possibly get any worse.”

Jughead stroked her cheek. He bent down to kiss her forehead.

Then, she said, “I better get to bed.”

“Yeah me too, it’s late.”

After closing her door, Jughead wondered if the guy she was in love with was himself. However, as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it with an excuse. Then, he realized he probably shouldn’t have kissed her forehead.

_She wouldn’t give me the time of day._


	6. Chapter 6

The hallway was silent. No one spoke a word as Betty walked down the hallway. Her hands were in fists at her side. Whispers followed her and people pulled out their cameras. Something was about to happen.

Jughead took off his headphones, and watched her make her way down the hall.

Chuck and the football players nudged each other and sniggered.

Betty held her chin high, even though Jughead just _knew_ something was off. She was avoiding everyone’s eye contact, even _Jughead’s,_ for crying out loud. She stopped at her locker.

The cheerleaders sneered at her, and Cheryl approached her with her usual bitch face.

“I noticed your parents were arguing last night,” she said, placing a hand on her hip, “why was that?”

Betty’s lip curled as she said, “it’s none of your business, Cheryl.”

Jughead closed his locker, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

“I’m just curious,” Cheryl smiled, “you can’t blame me for being curious, can you?”

Betty tried to shove past her, but Cheryl stopped her with a rough hand on her shoulder. Betty’s backpack fell off her shoulder and hit the ground with a soft _thuck._

Before Cheryl could do anything more, Jughead said, “that’s _enough,_ Cheryl.”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, sent a sneer his way, then walked away with her River Vixen bitches.

Betty picked up her backpack and text books, and said to Jughead, “I didn’t need your help.”

Jughead opened his mouth to ask, _did I do something?_

But she had already pushed past him, her shoulder hitting his roughly. He watched her go, his eyebrows creasing together.

“No why would you think she wants your help?” Chuck asked, with a fake smile plastered to his face.

Jughead ignored him, and turned to leave in the direction Betty went.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Chuck called after him.

Jughead didn’t care. Betty needed him.

* * *

 

Riverdale High had five stairwells, one in each corner of the school. The fifth was found in the center of the building, not off-limits to students but had long fallen out of use. Its steps were covered in a thin layer of dust. Betty was sitting at the forgotten stairwell when Jughead found her.

He stared at her sobbing form. Her golden blonde hair was out of its usual ponytail, and spilled in waves to her shoulders. Her delicate small hands covered her face, and her shoulders were shaking.

“Betty – ”

“Jughead, why’d you follow me?” her voice was muffled by her hands.

He sat beside her, and wrapped his arms around her. “Because you’re my best friend, Betty Cooper, and I hate seeing you cry.”

She leaned into him, taking her hands away from her face. He caught a glimpse of red in her palms, but as quickly as he’d noticed it, it was gone. She rested her hands, palm side down, on the stair between them.

“You’re so sweet.”

_I’m in love with someone else now._

He wanted to shake her by the shoulders and ask, _who do you love?_

“What happened in the hallway?” he asked instead, looking for a distraction.

She said, “Cheryl ... she’s been in a bad mood recently, and she’s been taking it out on me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

They were silent while Jughead thought of what to do. Then …

“Hey, would you like to go on a date after school?” he paused, before adding, “as friends?”

She looked up at him, and smiled. Wiping away fresh tears, she said, “yeah. I’d love that. Let’s go to Pop’s.”

Jughead grinned. “Can’t wait.”

* * *

 

The diner was void of people. Perhaps it was because it was a school night, or perhaps people just never gave the diner a second thought. The reason Jughead liked hanging out here, was because no one ever went here anymore.

Soft music was playing throughout the diner, causing Jughead to tap his foot against the tiled floor. Something like the smell of steak and fries filled the atmosphere.

He tapped his fingers against the cold, rough table top.

The bell over the door jingled.

Then —

“Just getting something straight, we’re here as just friends?” Betty asked, sliding into the booth across from him.

“Yeah,” he swallowed, staring at the table, “just friends.”

His jaw feathered. Even though he knew he’d said, _let’s go as friends,_ tonight he felt stuck in the friendzone. Would Betty ever see him as anything more?

Betty reached across the table, and placed her hands on his. He breathed out when she touched him.

She said, “will you be mad if I gave you a gift anyway? For being so gentle and caring?”

Jughead’s eyes reached hers. He was waiting on her to say, _just kidding, I don’t have a gift for you,_ but she never did. Her eyes searched his, too, and for a brief moment, again, he wondered if she was in love with him.

“Here,” she pulled a perfectly wrapped gift out of her purse, and handed it to him.

“Now?”

“Well, the rest of it’s at home. So open it now, _and_ when we get home.”

“Better not be lingerie,” he teased.

“No promises,” she returned.

He tore open the gift, to see a published copy of his book on Jason Blossom’s death.

“This was written so long ago how’d you get this — ”

“My mother is easy to sweet talk. Plus … ” she paused, her facial expression hard to read. “I want to see you happy, Juggs. With your dad relapsing and your mom refusing to take care of you … ”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jughead reassured, “I’m just glad my book is published.”

She said, “you make me happy … I don’t know how you do, but you do.”

“Good, because I try to,” the response rolled off his tongue without him thinking about it.

When the waiter arrived to take their order, Jughead found himself looking forward to getting home with Betty.


	7. Chapter 7

**3 years ago**

_She was the prettiest girl there. Her honey blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, standing out against her porcelain skin. When her green eyes landed on his, time seemed to slow. And damn, was that a cheerleader uniform?_

_She reminded him of a doll, she was just that perfect._

_Archie patted Jughead’s shoulder, and said, “just go join her, man.”_

_Jughead glanced around at the other lunch tables. Not another seat was open, and if there was a seat open, there wasn’t enough room for him and Archie to sit there._

_When she smiled and waved him over, he smirked, and said, “how am I so lucky?”_

_As he sat next to her, the smells of lunch meat and grease were replaced with the smells of peaches and spring._

_“I’m Betty Cooper,” she greeted, a bright smile adding a special glow to her face._

_“Jughead Jones,” he returned._

_He could already tell he was in for a ride._

* * *

 

When they arrived back at the apartment, the lights were dimmed. Jughead glanced around.

The furniture was pushed to the side — all of it. In the center of the room, a small stereo sat on one of the end tables. Every bit of this created a romantic atmosphere.

Betty lead him inside. “For your second part of the present,” she paused, turning on the stereo, “I want to slow dance with you.”

Jughead placed his book on the counter, and joined her in the furniture-less living room. He placed his hands on her waist, and she slung her arms around his neck.

“I thought this was a just friends date,” Jughead said, his lips tilting up at the corners.

“Yeah, well it _was_ supposed to be … ” Betty said, “and it still is. We can dance as just friends, can’t we?”

“Of course we can,” Jughead said. The music filled the silence that followed. The silence was torturous. He wanted to know things. About her, about the date, about what she thought of it all. If it was helping in any way.

But he didn’t _want_ the moment to end. As much as he really liked her, he was certain if he brought it up, they’d argue, and it would ruin everything.

So Jughead opted to stay silent.

Betty smiled at him. “Jughead, what’s on your mind?”

He twirled her, causing her to laugh. “Betty Cooper,” he paused long enough to dip her, “you’re special to me.”

When she was back to standing, she said, “is that what’s on your mind?”

Jughead, again, didn’t want to ruin everything, but instead, his voice hitched as he said, “I uh … ”

“What?”

“I want to know something,” Jughead finally said. He swallowed in his dry throat. They were so close, he just _knew_ Betty could feel his thudding heart.

She stepped away, and asked, “is there something wrong?”

He let his arms fall to his side. Everything in him felt weak — something very contrary to what he normally felt.

“You remember … how you said,” he paused, breathing in, “that you’re in love with someone else?”

Betty’s head tilted. He could practically read her thoughts — _oh Jughead, I only see you as a friend._

But instead she smiled, and pressed her hands together. He noticed a small bit of red on her palms, but he didn’t say anything. Maybe something happened that she didn’t want to talk about just yet.

“I don’t think it’s the right time to tell you just yet,” she said, “because I want to wait for the perfect timing.”

“Is it me?” he wondered aloud. He hadn’t realized he said it until her smile faded.

_Time to be brutally rejected …_

She stepped closer to him. “I can’t say yet,” she said, “it’s not only frustrating for you, you know.”

Jughead nodded, but didn’t say anything. Then —

She pressed her lips to his cheek. She lingered there for a moment, her lips soft against his tingling skin. Then, she pulled away. He yearned to press his lips to hers, but if she wasn’t ready …

He respected that.

“Help me move the furniture back,” she said, “and then we can go to bed.”


	8. Chapter 8

“That slow dance wasn’t a ‘just friends’ type of thing,” Jughead said to Betty, “so why’d you do it?”

“It was a present,” Betty replied, placing the stereo at the kitchen bar.

“For what? It wasn’t my birthday, it wasn’t _for_ anything but to torture me,” Jughead shouted, causing her to flinch. She avoided his eye contact.

“Oh my God, you _did_ do it to torture me.”

Betty’s eyes were welling up with tears. “I would never do that, and you know it.” Her voice was dangerously quiet.

“Betty, you _know_ I like you. How long have you known?”

She was silent. The clock ticking in the background seemed to get louder — seemed to mock him for his stupidity. The honking of cars outside the window told him he’s an idiot. The barking dog told him he fucked up.

“I didn’t, not until now,” a tear had finally escaped her eyes, and she turned away from him. Her blonde hair hid her face, and he noticed her hands were clenched in fists.

Jughead wanted to reach out and wipe away her tears, but right now he was angry. He was angry that she’d tortured him with a slow dance, and then turned around and acted like nothing happened.

“Are you going to say _anything_ about it?” Jughead demanded.

When she didn’t respond, he grabbed his backpack and keys.

“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice coming out all weak and mangled.

“Anywhere but here,” Jughead said.

And as he left, he slammed the door.

* * *

 

The bell above the door announced Jughead’s entry. The waitress behind the counter greeted him with a smile and a, “welcome to Poptate’s Diner.”

Jughead nodded in her direction, then sat in a booth by himself.

The diner was practically empty, only occupied by the staff, and a weird old man whose eyes seemed to stare straight into Jughead’s soul.

He avoided the man’s gaze, and pulled his computer from his bag.

Just as he did, though, his phone rang.

He checked the caller ID: Dad.

He blinked at his phone. Why would his dad be calling him? Instead of giving his dad a chance to talk to him, he pressed the ‘dismiss call’ button.

Two minutes later, when Jughead had his computer set up, his dad called again.

Jughead cursed, then pressed ‘accept call.’

“What dad?”

“Son, I’m sorry, for everything, I am,” FP said. His voice practically begged him for … “come back, will you, son? I’ll make a real effort this time — ”

“No, Dad, I want to see the effort _first_ before I come back.”

FP sighed, “Son — ”

Jughead didn’t want to hear it. He ended the call, and then ran his fingers through his hair.

His thoughts wandered to how he walked out on both his dad, _and_ Betty. His dad may have deserved it, but Betty? She didn’t deserve _any_ of it. She deserved someone better than him and Archie. She deserved a fucking saint for crying out loud.

And he wasn’t that. He wasn’t a saint.

He was just Jughead.

And because of his stupid decisions, he had no place to stay again.


	9. Chapter 9

_I’m sorry …_

Sometimes it would be on the tip of his tongue as he passed her in the hallway, or when he was helping her with the Blue & Gold. Other times it would be pushed to the farthest corner of his mind. As if he didn’t want to think about it.

It was like they were no longer friends, not even acquaintances. They were strangers.

Jughead often pushed that out of his mind, but today it was the only thing he could think about.

_I’m sorry, Betty …_

But he was too stubborn to actually say it to her. To actually tell her he didn’t mean what he said.

Jughead had spent the last two weeks sleeping at Pop’s or at the bus station on a bench. Anywhere he could sleep, he slept there. It was unfortunate, but it was his situation.

_I’m sorry for everything. I’m too damn stubborn to say anything but …_

Jughead sighed. Who cared about him? Definitely not his father, definitely not Betty. Archie? Didn’t give a damn.

“Hey Jughead,” Veronica said, sitting down at the table beside him. The usual buzz of conversation surrounded him, so much that he barely noticed Veronica next to him.

When she raised her eyebrows and crossed her legs, he noticed her.

At least one person cared.

“Hey,” Jughead said. He bit into his burger. It didn’t taste so good. Was that cow’s meat or was it just … mystery meat?

And the lettuce was bland —

“Betty’s been pretty upset recently. Have you talked to her?”

“Nope,” Jughead said, and took a sip of water. Even _that_ was bland.

Veronica sighed, and placed her purse on the table.

“Something happen between you two?” she pulled out her phone.

“What are you doing?” Jughead asked, when he noticed she pulled up Betty’s contact.

“Oh, you two need to sort something out. Call it intervention.”

“Why?” he wanted to say, _she wouldn’t even talk to me no matter how hard you tried,_ but it just came out as a hitched, “why?”

But Veronica didn’t listen. She pressed the ‘call’ button, and pushed her phone towards Jughead.

Jughead’s heart hammered in his chest the longer he waited. When she picked up, she said, “What’s up Ronnie?” but her voice was stuffed up.

“I-It’s not Ronnie,” Jughead said. Veronica patted his shoulder, and smiled slightly.

“Jughead?”

“Yeah,” he forced himself to swallow. He pressed the phone closer to his ear.

It was silent for a moment. And during that moment, Jughead wondered if she’d already hung up. He even pulled away from the phone to look at the screen.

And then she said, “look, I’m sorry, Jug. I never meant to torture you.”

Jughead glanced at Veronica, who was still watching him.

“And I … ” he wanted to say it, he wanted to so bad. But he couldn’t find it in himself.

“It’s okay,” Betty knew what he meant to say, “we were both clearly stupid.”

He smiled at that.

“Come back, will you?” she asked.

Jughead stared at his food — he wasn’t hungry anymore anyway — before saying, “I will.”

* * *

 

Archie approached Jughead at his locker. “Hey buddy,” he said.

Jughead closed his locker. “Archie. Did you lose all sense of self-worth? Because you’re talking to me.”

He leaned against his locker casually, waiting for Archie to say something.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“And what would that be?”

The two of them began walking. Their pace was slow, relaxed. But Archie looked uncomfortable.

“I need you to talk to Betty for me. She’s been upset recently, and I can’t help but think it’s my fault.”

“You can’t talk to her yourself?” Jughead asked. He shook his head, “I’m sorry. You need to work it out with her yourself.”

And with that, Jughead walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

Climbing up the steps to her apartment was like walking toward a death sentence.

With every step, he was certain his legs would dissolve beneath him. He was certain he’d melt into the floor with his mortification. His gut was telling him he made a piss poor decision by trying to cut her out of his life. She obviously didn’t deserve it.

And that itself was embarrassing to him. Just that he was too much of a coward to tell her how he felt.

He reached the door — finally — and raised his fist to knock.

_I’m so sorry,_ it was on the tip of his tongue when the door swung open. Betty smiled, and let him in without words.

They sat beside each other on the couch in complete silence.

And then —

“You know, I didn’t expect that,” she chuckled, and then continued, “I made a mistake, and so did you.”

Jughead turned to face her, and replied softly, “why?”

“You told me you like me, and it took me by complete surprise.” Betty placed her hand — palm side down, he noticed — between them.

“I do,” he replied, “and I made a fool of myself.” _I’m sorry._ Damn, he was so close to saying it.

She rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered, “I like you. And it surprises me, you know. I liked Archie for the longest time — you two are opposites.”

Jughead’s heart raced. He knew what was coming next.

Was he ready?

She turned to face him, and said, “So I’m sorry, for torturing you. I feel _awful_ about it.”

_I’m so sorry._

“I’m uh … ” he swallowed against his constricted throat.

“You’re sorry, too, I know,” Betty said, “You don’t have to … ”

His eyes flickered to her lips briefly. When his eyes returned to hers, he realized something … something he knew he wouldn’t be able to get off of his mind for the next several days. He _was_ ready.

So he pulled her closer, and pressed his lips to hers.

They both went stiff. While the kiss lasted — her soft lips on his, such a surreal feeling — the time passed slowly. His mind was utter mush, it was barely registering in his mind that they were actually kissing.

Her lips were sweet, like sugary candy that left him wanting more.

And as soon as they pulled apart, their foreheads resting on each other’s, he already missed the feeling. He already missed her lips.

“Jughead Jones,” she smiled, “that was … amazing.”

He grinned, “I know.”

But he could barely process what had just happened. Did he seriously just kiss Betty Cooper?

Then, she said, “I need to get to bed. It’s pretty late.”

“Yeah,” his mind was all over the place, still.

“Good night,” she said with a chuckle.

He waved, and watched her walk to her room. And then?

He relaxed on the couch and slept peacefully.

* * *

 

“Juggs!” Betty was shaking him awake again.

“Five more minutes,” Jughead mumbled.

“Jughead,” Betty said, “I want to go on a date with you. Get up!”

When the events of the night before came flooding back, _that_ was when he could finally process everything.

He sat straight up like a rocket, and said, “w-what?”

“Yeah, why not? Let’s go on a date.”

Jughead pulled on his beanie, and squinted at his phone. 8:00 AM.

“It’s too early,” he mumbled.

“I want to beat the traffic. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Jughead pulled her down onto the couch with him, until they were in a spooning position.

She giggled, “we’re going to be stuck in traffic.”

“Just relax,” he whispered.

And that’s what they did until —

The door burst open. Betty shot out of bed and was at her feet at an alarming speed.

Jughead sat up, and glared at the intruder. It was Archie.

He scoffed at the two of them. “I knew it! You’re living together!”

“How did you — ?”

“What the hell — ?”

Behind Archie, Alice appeared, her hand perched on her hip.

“Betty, how dare you.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this chapter is so short I'll be updating chapter 12 straight after it. Thanks for reading and enjoying!

“Mom!”

Archie ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You two were living together? For how long?”

Jughead pulled on his shoes and said, “I’ll just get going … ”

“Yes, _Jughead,_ you need to leave. We’ve got a Social Services worker for you,” Alice said. She tugged at his arm.

He glanced back at Betty, whose lips were trembling. “Mom, leave him _alone!_ He needed a place to stay, and I was — ”

“I don’t care Elizabeth,” Alice spat, causing Betty to flinch, “because now Jughead _will_ have a place to stay.”

Betty tugged him back, away from her mother. “I no longer abide by your rules,” she said, “and neither does he.”

Alice squared her shoulders, her teeth grinding. Archie said, “I can’t believe you two.”

Jughead opened his mouth to say something, but Betty beat him to it. “Juggie, how old are you?”

“Nineteen,” he said.

Alice threw her hands up in the air. Betty continued, “that means, Mom, that Jughead doesn’t need a Social Services worker. He’s old enough to be out on his own.”

Archie said, “but that doesn’t mean he can live with a _girl_ who’s not even his girlfriend. Wait … ”

“I can’t believe you guys!” Betty exclaimed, “you’re so _nosey_!”

It was silent for a while. It reminded him of a Mexican standoff, because everyone was staring at each other, with the deadliest of glares.

Jughead shifted on his feet. The silence was unbearable.

“How long have you two been living together?” Alice demanded, returning them to Archie’s original question.

Betty and Jughead glanced at each other. “It’s none of your damn business,” Betty replied, “he needed a place to stay. And where’d you get this information anyway?”

They avoided her gaze.

Now it was Betty’s turn to scoff. “Wow.”

Jughead grabbed his keys and his backpack. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”

Alice turned to leave, but then stopped before she reached the door. “If I find out he’s living with you, again, I won’t be so forgiving.”

“What are you going to do, Mom? Send me away to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy?”

“I might just do that,” Alice said indignantly, then left. Archie sent a glare their way before following her.

Jughead glanced over at Betty, before heading for the door as well.

She tugged on his arm, and said, “will you please stay?”

“I don’t want you sent away to the Sisters,” he said, “I have to go.”

“Oh,” Betty said, “where will you stay now?”

“I’ll figure it out,” Jughead said. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder. “Bye, Betts.”

* * *

 

The trailer door loomed over him threateningly. His dad was probably on the other side, drinking his weight in liquor.

He reached up to knock, but thought twice about it. He turned to walk away, the gravel crunching under his weight. But before he got far, the door squealed open, and he heard his father’s voice.

“Son,” he called, “I heard what happened.”

Jughead froze in his tracks.

“I promise I’ve changed,” FP said, “I’ve made a real effort, Son. I’m a part of a recovery group, I even shaved my beard. Come back, please.”

Jughead turned around, and stared at his father. “Dad … ”

“Please Son. I know you have nowhere else to go. I can get your mother and Jelly Bean back if you want — ”

“Dad,” Jughead paused, thinking. If he returned, he wanted to see this effort put into action. He could say that to FP, make him aware … “Alright.”

FP’s face broke out into a smile. “Thank you Son, I promise I — ”

“I want to see all these promises lived out,” Jughead interrupted.

He nodded, “and you will. I promise.”

Jughead walked up to him, and FP clapped his shoulder before letting him in.

Hopefully Jughead wouldn’t regret his decision.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 12 straight after 11!

“Son, we haven’t caught up with each other properly.”

The trailer was clean. Every room he encountered was spotless, _nice_ looking. The kitchen practically gleamed. The kitchen table was no longer littered in alcohol bottles and newspapers. A fruit bowl sat atop a neatly folded newspaper in the center of the table. The chairs circled it, pushed in at a precise manner.

FP pulled out one of the chairs, and gestured for him to sit. Daylight filtered in from the window beside the table.

“We haven’t,” Jughead said as he sat down. He took off his jacket and backpack, but kept his beanie on. He wasn’t sure if he could trust his dad’s efforts yet, so the beanie was staying on.

“I know that you were living with your girlfriend,” FP said, taking an apple from the bowl.

Jughead stiffened, “she’s not my girlfriend.”

He took a bite of the apple and chewed thoughtfully. Jughead watched him with an unreadable expression.

“You sure? That girl really likes you, you know. If you aren’t dating you should still treat her like a gentleman should, you hear?”

Jughead opened his mouth to respond, but FP held up a finger.

“She’s a real lovely lady,” he went on, “takes after her mother.” He chuckled, and bit into his apple again. He looked like he really loved the taste of that apple.

“Were you and Alice—”

“Dating? Ha, I wish,” he set the apple down, and rested his hands on the table. Then, “she was more into Hal.”

Jughead nodded. He wanted to say, _so that’s why you decided to drink your weight in alcohol,_ but kept his mouth shut.

“Son, you’ve got practically _the_ prettiest girl in Riverdale after your attention—don’t take advantage of her.”

Jughead smiled slightly. It was the best he could do right now. He was between feeling weirded out by his dad’s sudden change in attitude, and feeling happy that his dad was so interested.

“I won’t,” he breathed in softly, “because that’s not what gentlemen do.”

“That’s my boy,” FP reached across the table to pat his shoulder. Then, he pulled back, and picked up his apple again. He bit into it, and chewed thoughtfully again.

“You know, Son,” he swallowed, “I’ve been going to a rehab group recently. I don’t want you to see me like alcohol trash.”

“Dad—”

“And I met some real nice people there. Jughead, you won’t believe who showed up there.” Jughead was silent while FP finished the apple and threw away the core. “It was your mother.”

“Mom?” Jughead asked, “how is—”

“She’s great—Jelly Bean is great, too. I’ve asked her to come pay a visit.”

“And?” Jughead was interested.

“She’s sending Jelly Bean, but she won’t be coming herself,” FP’s happy expression turned sullen.

“Oh,” Jughead was silent for a moment. Then, “it’s okay, at least Jelly Bean is coming for a visit … ”

FP smiled his usual crooked smile, and said, “you know, Son. I’m glad to finally be caught up with you.”

Jughead smiled. “I’m glad too, Dad.”

He no longer thought his dad was alcoholic trash. Not after the display of interest FP has shown in Jughead’s life.

* * *

 

“So he just sat you down for a conversation, and you two caught up on each other’s lives?”

They were sitting alone at the forgotten stairwell the following day. School had just ended, and Jughead told the story of yesterday afternoon with his dad.

“Yeah,” Jughead said, “it was weird.”

Betty reached for his hand, and their fingers laced together. His hand was much bigger than hers, he noticed.

“Well I’m glad things are great for you.”

“How are things with you?” Jughead asked.

Betty sighed heavily. “You know, things are getting worse.”

“Why’s that?” Jughead turned to face her, his eyes skimming her glum expression.

“I uh … ” she glanced down at their hands, and took a deep breath, before peeling her hands away from his. He was about to ask why she did, when she showed him her palms.

His breathing hitched at the sight of her self-harm. Four tiny red semi-circles were pressed into her palms. Both of them.

Jughead traced the self-harm scars with his finger, then returned his eyes to hers.

“Ever since my parents divorced I’ve been relapsing into my own self-harm,” she explained.

“Why?”

“Things are getting worse for me,” she paused, “you’re the only good thing in my life right now.”

Jughead looked back down at her scars. He said, “I don’t care about your self-harm. I don’t care about Alice trying to blame things on you. I don’t even _care_ about Polly moving to New York. What I see in you is your strength. You’re _strong,_ Betty.”

She smiled softly.

“Strong enough to get through this,” Jughead finished.

She brought her hands up to cup his face, and kissed him. It was a brief kiss, that left him wanting more when she pulled away.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Not a problem,” he replied.

As they walked away from the forgotten stairwell, and parted ways, Jughead felt an overwhelming desire to tell her something else.

But it was something he knew he’d have to wait for.


	13. Chapter 13

“There goes Beanie Boy!”

The mocking never seemed to end. His stupid hat has always made him seem as an outcast — as someone unapproachable. Jughead hated the nickname. He wanted to be known for something more than just his weird _hat._

“How’s Beanie Boy and Goody Two Shoes?” a football player — his name might’ve been Reggie — mocked, “kissing? Having sex? Congratulations, that’s quite a prize!”

Jughead glanced over at the football players. They truly were douche bags. He then shook his head, and continued walking. It wasn’t below Reggie to make those kinds of comments. He just wished Reggie would leave his … whatever-she-was … out of it. He wouldn’t exactly name her as his girlfriend yet … maybe he just wasn’t ready to call her that.

Plus … Betty didn’t deserve to be objectified. She didn’t even deserve to be mocked like he was.

“Where are you going, Jug-head?”

There it was. The usual mocking of his name. He wasn’t surprised, really.

“To my locker?” Jughead said. He then smiled, also mockingly. “If you’d like to stalk me more I could give you a tour of my locker, to satisfy you. You know, since you seem to want detailed information on my life.”

Reggie’s irritated expression wasn’t hard to miss. He shoved Jughead’s shoulders roughly, and said, “you seem to want a fight, Jones.”

Jughead said, “I can easily beat you at an arm wrestle. Do you seriously want to play this game again?”

A crowd was forming around them. Jughead knew they wanted to see a fight between the school’s Loner, and the school’s Most Popular.

Jughead knew not to give them that, though.

Reggie smiled, teasingly, and said, “I know you and Betty slept together. Really not a surprise, though. Betty’s a slut.”

Jughead grunted, “leave her out of this.”

“Oh, I hit a soft spot,” Reggie mocked. Jughead glared at him.

Reggie backed away, his hands in the air, “alright Beanie Boy, I’ll leave her be.”

“Thank you.”

“For now,” he added, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Jughead watched him leave before turning to his locker and grabbing his text books.

“Why do you keep defending me?” a voice said behind him, “I can defend myself.”

Jughead turned around, noticing Betty. He closed his locker, and followed Betty down the hall. He stuttered, “b-because … ”

“We’re late,” Betty said suddenly.

He wondered why he didn’t just man-up and say it.

* * *

 

“Heard you got in a fight with Reggie,” Archie said, catching up with Jughead in the hallway, “not smart dude.”

Jughead quickened his pace, and said, “I’m late.”

“To where?” Archie asked. He sounded insulted. Which, he had to right to be insulted. Archie was usually the one blowing Jughead off.

“To a date with Betty,” Jughead said. He stopped to stare at Archie, gauging for a reaction.

Archie kept his face impassive, but Jughead noticed a flicker of envy in his eyes.

“Problem?” Jughead asked.

“No. Have fun.”

“If there’s a problem with me dating Betty, tell me man. I’ll stop if you want me to.”

Archie sighed, “okay I do have a problem with it.”

It was silent for a moment. The hallway had long been abandoned by the students in their rush to go home. It was just Archie and Jughead now, with the occasional teacher passing by.

“Can you say why?” Jughead asked.

“Yeah.” But he was still silent.

Jughead raised his eyebrows, encouraging him to go on.

“Fine. I … like Betty.”

_Damn it._


	14. Chapter 14

“So you don’t want me to date Betty?”

Archie sighed, “you can do what you want, Jughead. Just keep in mind that I like her too.”

“What’s your goal here?” Jughead asked, adjusting his beanie, “do you want to stand between me and Betty getting together?”

Archie went silent. The janitor passed them, whistling. In another room, instruments played, and beyond that, voices harmonized together in song. Jughead scoffed.

“You do want to get between us.”

Archie opened his mouth to respond, but Jughead silenced him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I can’t help it if I like her.”

“Yes, you can! If she’s clearly after _my_ attention, why are you even trying?”

Archie scratched the back of his neck, but didn’t respond.

“That’s what I thought,” his voice was dangerously low.

“Ooo,” Cheryl said from behind Jughead, “this is juicy stuff.”

Archie’s shoulders tensed. “Cheryl, put the phone down.”

Jughead whirled around, noticing Cheryl’s fingers wrapped around a phone — which was aimed at them.

“This is going live, and Betty’s watching. So make your words count, hmm?” Cheryl smiled, perching her other hand on her hip.

Archie stepped forward, but Jughead stopped him.

“Cheryl,” Jughead’s tone of voice was cold, a warning, “put it down. Now.”

Archie said, “what did you get on video?”

Cheryl smiled, and walked closer. She had a confident strut to her step, that pretty much said, _I own this place, not you._

“Oh everything. Archie likes Betty, Jughead likes Betty, and now Archie doesn’t want Jughead and Betty to be together, blah, blah.”

Jughead watched her circle them, a lump rising in his throat. Betty was watching them. Right now.

“Cheryl — ”

“Leave them alone, Cheryl,” Veronica said from the other end of the hallway, “or I’ll bring your mother into this.”

Cheryl visibly stiffened. Jughead’s eyebrows rose, and he exchanged a glance with a surprised Archie. She glanced back at the two boys, and said, “fine. But I will be back.”

As soon as Cheryl left, Veronica walked up to Archie and —

_Smack!_

Veronica’s hand came in contact with Archie’s cheek, and the sound practically echoed across the hallway walls. Archie’s head snapped to the right.

“What was that for?” Archie asked, his hands reaching up to soothe his freshly-slapped cheek.

“You have no idea, do you … ”

Jughead turned to leave, but Veronica reached out and gripped his sleeve, snatching him back.

“Archie,” Veronica said, tears visible in her eyes, “you’re clearly an attention pig. You know what? We’re over. You had your chance and you blew it.”

She snatched a locket off her neck, and shoved it in his hands, saying, “don’t forget your pathetic attempt to buy my attention.”

* * *

 

The diner was quiet this evening. The only person there was the same man from before, whose eyes seemed to stare through his soul.

Jughead did his best to ignore him.

He pulled his computer out of his bag, and began writing. His fingers raced across the keyboard as he wrote, his mind all over the place. He couldn’t stop thinking about Archie and Veronica.

While he wrote, the bell above the door jingled, and fast footsteps approached his booth.

“Jughead!” an angry Betty exclaimed, slamming her palms down on the table.

He calmly closed his laptop, and said, “yes Betty?”

She slid into the booth across from him. He noticed her hands were in fists.

“Why do you keep defending me?”

“You saw the video … ”

“Yeah, damn right I did,” Betty replied, “can’t you stop defending me?”

“Why should I?” Jughead demanded, “Archie likes — ”

“I don’t care if Archie likes me,” Betty said, “I care that you continually defend me when I can defend myself.”

Jughead released a tense breath, and said, “okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

The two were silent for a moment. Betty fidgeted with her nails, and Jughead packed his computer in his bag.

Jughead’s mind was shouting at him to say something, one thing in particular. But he didn’t want to — not yet, at least.

So to busy himself from even thinking about it, he played with the straps on his backpack.

“I … ” Betty seemed to be overthinking things as well.

But before they had a chance to say anything, Veronica appeared at their booth, and said, “come quick, it’s Archie.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the last chapter! Let me know what you think! <3

Archie’s house was a trashed mess. The couch was upside down, the table overturned and on its side, and the pictures on the walls were either crooked, or on the floor with a shattered frame.

Toilet paper littered the floor and walls.

And what was that horrible smell? It was like wet dog and repugnant trash. The sound of someone sobbing came from the kitchen, which was equally as trashed.

Jughead followed Veronica and Betty into the kitchen, and noticed Archie on the ground with a bottle of alcohol in his hands. Fred was beside him, patting his back.

“So glad you could come. He needs your help,” Fred said.

Jughead crouched on the ground next to his best friend, shoving aside some paper and a crushed can of beer.

“Archie, what did you do to yourself?”

“I got drunk,” he slurred. “I felt so alone.”

Betty sat on her knees beside Jughead.

“I’m sorry Veronica,” he said to the dark-haired girl standing in front of him.

“Archie … ”

Archie pulled the locket out of his pocket and stared at it for a moment. “I bought you this because I loved you.”

Veronica looked away, tears fresh in her eyes.

“I seem to make everything worse for myself,” he said, “all the time.”

Jughead patted his shoulder. “You’ll be okay. Just get up. We’ll put you to bed.”

Archie glanced at Jughead, then turned to Veronica. “I can make things better, Ronnie. Trust me.”

Tears were sliding down her cheeks now, but she didn’t respond.

Jughead and Betty helped lift him off the ground. Veronica stayed behind with Fred.

As Jughead and Betty brought a very drunk, very emotional Archie up the stairs to his bedroom, they listened to him cry about Veronica.

As soon as Archie was tucked in, Betty knelt beside his bed and hummed to him.

Jughead only heard her sing _once,_ and at that time he was mesmerized by her voice. And this time too, he was very mesmerized by her voice. It was like a beautiful medley. The natural sound of her voice was the kind of sound that, despite being soft, harmonized with the silence in the room.

When she finished, Archie was asleep. Jughead and Betty headed back downstairs and said good bye to Fred and Veronica.

And then? They walked to Jughead’s trailer together.

* * *

 

After school, every day for three weeks now, Jughead and Betty met up at Pop’s. Today, something different was about to happen.

Betty sat beside Jughead when she arrived one Tuesday afternoon, and shared some good news. “Polly is moving back in with Mom.”

“What about the twins?” Jughead asked.

“They’re gonna live with my mother too.”

She tightened her ponytail, then slid her hand into his.

“That’s great news,” Jughead said, “I’m happy for them.”

“I am too,” Betty bit her lip. _It was sexy as hell._ “and Mom’s going to be remarrying someone.”

Jughead grinned, “so is my dad.”

“Do you think our parents are getting married to each other?”

Jughead chuckled, “I hope not.”

“Oh come on, it’d be cute!”

Jughead squeezed her hand with a smile. She glanced over at him, and returned his grin with her own.

“Anything new with you?”

“Jelly Bean is visiting this weekend.” Jughead said, his grin growing wider, “for the first time in forever.”

“That’s great news!” Betty replied, “that’ll be fun! I want to meet her.”

“You will.” Jughead said.

It was silent between them for a moment. His mind was screaming at him, as per usual. He’d been itching to say _I love you_ for a while now.

So today … he gave in to that desire. “Betty?”

She turned to face him, her pony tail swishing as she did so.

“Yes, Juggie?”

“I … ” his heart was _racing,_ his mind barely keeping up.

“You what?” her curiosity wasn’t helping.

He swallowed against his dry throat, and she smiled, encouraging him.

“I love you.”


End file.
